Salmon and a Seedy Summer Salad

No, no, no...don't go!  I know, salmon...cutting edge right?  But see?!  I'm trying to tempt you with this salad photo.  I hope you stick around for the salmon too though...it's seriously good.  Only primo recipes here people. 
This salmon recipe is super healthy and blissfully tasty. With a beautiful summer salad along side, I could and should eat like this everyday.

Roasted Salmon with Cucumber Sour Cream
From Bon Appetit, April 2003

Notes: This dish is so good for you. The healthy fats in the salmon speak for themselves, and the sauce...oh the sauce...it's chock full of greens. The sour cream is the only added fat in this dish...I use a lower fat sour cream when I am serving this just to my Hubby and I.

Ingredients:

Salmon
1/3 cup dry white wine
1/3 cup orange juice
1/3 cup soy sauce
6 6-ounce salmon fillets with skin
 

Mix wine, orange juice, and soy sauce in 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish. Place salmon, flesh side down, in dish. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate 2 hours, turning occasionally.

Preheat oven to 450°F. Line baking sheet with foil. Shake excess marinade off salmon. Transfer salmon to baking sheet, skin side down. Roast until fish is opaque in center, about 14 minutes. Sprinkle salmon with salt. 


Transfer to plates. Top with dollops of Cucumber Sour Cream.

Cucumber Sour Cream
1 cup (packed) baby spinach leaves
1 cup (packed) arugula leaves
1/2 shallot
3/4 cup sour cream
3 tablespoons whole grain Dijon mustard
1/2 cup chopped seeded peeled cucumber

Finely chop spinach, arugula, and shallot in processor. Add sour cream and mustard; process just until blended. Transfer to medium bowl. (Can be prepared 6 hours ahead. Cover and refrigerate.) 


Stir cucumber into sour cream mixture. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Serves 6

Seedy Summer Salad

Notes: One of my favorite salads, nutty seeds, creamy avocado, tangy feta, sweet tomatoes and balsamic vinegar. Use whatever mix of seeds you have available and the ripest juiciest tomatoes you can find.

Ingredients: 

Salad
1/2 cup mixed seeds, sunflower, pepitas and sesame
1 head of romaine lettuce, chopped
a couple of handfuls of baby arugula
6 small, sweet tomatoes, quartered
1/4 cup of feta cheese, cubed
1/2 avocado, thinly sliced

Place the seed mixture in a pan over medium heat and watch them closely for about 5 minutes, tossing frequently, making sure they don't burn. The seeds should be lightly browned and fragrant.

In a bowl, mix the lettuces, tomatoes, feta and most of the seeds. Toss with enough Simple Balsamic Vinaigrette to lightly coat the lettuces. Top the salad with the avocado and remaining seeds and drizzle with a little more vinaigrette.

Simple Balsamic Dressing

1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tsp dijon mustard
1 tsp honey
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 cup olive oil


Whisk together balsamic vinegar, dijon, honey, salt and pepper in a bowl. Slowly drizzle the olive oil into the vinegar mixture, whisking constantly to emulsify.

Serves 4